Finding Love
by Princess Sere14
Summary: Serena runs away from an orphanage, three days before her eighteenth birthday with no real plan. She ends up meeting Darien and having the time of her life!


An: I originally wrote this for SMFF for Usa week about a month ago. I hope you like it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own sailor moon or the others but this story does belong to me.  
  
Ages-  
  
Darien- 25  
  
Serena-17-18  
  
Andrew-25  
  
Mina-23  
  
Finding Love  
  
In a darken orphanage in Los Angeles, California a petite girl was huddled in a corner. Her once vibrant blue eyes were now dull and filled with sadness. Crystal ears rolled down her smooth cheeks.  
  
'I can't take it anymore.' The girl thought. 'I thought I would be able to stand this place until my eighteenth birthday but I can't! I just can't take it anymore!' the girl silently cried. Her eighteenth birthday was only three days away, June thirtieth to be exact. After the days events she had had it with the orphanage.  
  
At the crack of dawn she and the other orphans would wake up and begin their daily chores. The orphanage caretaker treated them as if they were her own personal slaves. They had to mop the floors, scrub the toilets, polish the caretakers shoes, and were beaten if the caretaker was in a bad mood or just felt like torturing someone.  
  
Ms. Fox, the caretaker had seemed to taken a strong dislike to Serena for some reason. Every day she whipped the blond just to see the agony in her face. Today she had grown angry when the blond didn't cry or show any signs of pain in her face so the old lady had repeatedly whipped Serena until she grew tired of her and sent her to bed early without any dinner. Although dinner only consisted of a hard piece of bread and a glass of water Serena wished she hadn't missed dinner, because she knew she would be extremely hungry during the night.  
  
'Tonight! I must leave tonight! When the caretaker is asleep I shall run away and live on my own.' The blond thought excitedly. She wiped away her tears with her mud smudged hands and picked herself up from the damp cold cement floor.  
  
The eerie silence filled the orphanage as Serena tiptoed to the caretaker's bedroom. She slowly turned the brass knob while silently praying that it wouldn't make a loud creaking noise like everything else in the orphanage. Slowly and carefully Serena opened the door. First half an inch, then an inch, and then three inches, enough so that she could see the caretaker with the dim moonlight that shone through the window above the bed. The old lady lay sound asleep snoring loudly beneath the covers. As silently as she opened the door she closed it.  
  
Quickly and quietly she slipped out of the building. Only one obstacle remained now, the fence. 'How am I going to get out?' the blond contemplated. 'Maybe there's a gap I can slip through.' Serena circled the grounds looking for an opening or breech of some sort. Not having any such luck Serena sighed. 'I guess there is only one way to get out of here and that is to climb the fence.'  
  
Serena grasped onto the bricks. Pain seethed through her hands as she pulled herself up little by little against the rough bricks. With pain and determination in her face the blond made it to the top. When she made it to the top she rested herself on its flat surface ignoring the pain that throbbed in her hands from climbing the fence. Giving the orphanage one last glance, Serena  
  
disappeared over the other side of the fence leaving the wretched place behind.  
  
Daylight was breaking as Serena slowly made her way down street after street. She practically had to drag herself down the street because her slender legs were sore from the hours of walking she had done. The only reason she kept walking was because she knew once Ms. Fox awakened and discovered she was gone, the old lady would have the police combing the streets for her. If she could stay hidden until her birthday she would be safe.   
  
'I can't let her find me. After I've made it this far I cannot let that happen.' The blond thought as she quickened her pace with a new determination.  
  
It was now ten o'clock. People were up and about on the streets. Every time someone saw Serena they would give her a strange look. And why shouldn't they? The blond was wearing faded and torn rags, her hair was dirty and tangled, and she was covered from head to toe in dirt.  
  
Serena's legs felt as if they would fall off and her head was woozy from the lack of sleep and nutrition. Not once since she had left did she stop for a rest or a drink of water. She kept pushing herself, fighting against the dizziness to keep going. Finally her body could take no more and the blond's body swayed before it crumpled to the ground.  
  
A young man made his way down the sidewalk a couple minutes later. He was on his way to Peterson Hospital where he worked as a surgeon when he came across a young girl that had passed out on the sidewalk. His heart instantly went out to the girl. Instead of passing by and leaving her there he carefully scooped up her frail body.  
  
Making a quick decision on whether he should take her to the hospital or take her home and take care of her, he turned around and headed back to his house. He paid no mind to the curious looks people gave him as they passed by him.  
  
When he arrived home he gently laid the girl down on the black leather sofa. From what he could see she was suffering from malnutrition, exhaustion, and abuse, a bad combination. The good looking man placed a call to the hospital telling them he wouldn't be coming in for a couple of days.  
  
Positioning himself in a nearby arm chair the man silently waited for the blond to awaken because there was not much he could do until then.  
  
Serena's eyes fluttered open and her senses were flooded with light fragrance of roses. 'Roses?' she inwardly questioned. 'Since when does the orphanage smell like roses?' Her memories of the recent events came back to mind. 'Oh no! Where am I?' she panicked. Using the very little strength she had left the blond managed to push herself into a sitting position.  
  
"You shouldn't be doing that." A deep voice said.  
  
Serena's head snapped into the direction of the voice. In a near by arm chair sat the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. With ebony hair, vivid stormy blue eyes, and although he was wearing a shirt you could see that he obviously worked out.  
  
Snapping out of her daze Serena thrust out the questions that were forming in her mind. "Where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here? How did I get here? What-"  
  
"Wait! Hold on a second, one question at a time." Darien said getting up from the chair. Serena's eyes followed him as he walked across the room and seated himself on the opposite end the sofa. "First I found you passed out on the street. Second your in my house and third you looked as if you desperately needed help so I brought you back here.  
  
Serena looked at him carefully before replying, "Thanks…who are you?"  
  
Giving her a warm smile he said "Darien Shields and you are…?"  
  
"Serena and I'll be out of your way in a second." She said trying to get up.  
  
"You're not leaving until your better." Darien gently scolded.  
  
"You make it sound as if I'm sick." Serena said making a face at Darien.  
  
"In a way you are. You're suffering from malnutrition, exhaustion, and abuse."  
  
Serena's blue orbs widened. She sank back into the sofa. It was useless trying to get up, her head was throbbing and her legs ached. Serena contemplated the idea of staying here for a few days. If she stayed here the caretaker would have less of a chance finding her here than she would on the streets but if she stayed she knew Darien would badger her about who treated her this way until she answered. Serena thought this over for a little while longer. "Alright I'll stay here until I'm better." The blond complied.  
  
A smile flashed across Darien's face before he looked down at his hands. A question was bothering him. A question he wanted to know the answer to but wasn't sure he should ask right now.  
  
The blond watched as she saw a variation of emotions flicker across Darien's face. "Is something wrong? If you've changed your mind about me staying here I'll leave if you want."  
  
Darien brought his startled gaze to meet Serena's. "No, don't leave. I was just…" Darien trailed off.   
  
"What?" Serena asked already knowing what he wanted to ask her.   
  
"Never mind. Now is not the right time for me to ask this." Darien said getting up. Serena was surprised at this, she had thought for sure that he would ask her about who had done this to her. "You want something to eat?"  
  
Serena's eyes lit up at the thought of food. She was starving. "Yeah food!" she cheered.  
  
Darien just smiled as he disappeared into the kitchen. A couple minutes later he returned with a tray piled with food. Serena raised an eyebrow at him. "You want me to eat all of that?" she squeaked.  
  
Darien rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before replying "I didn't know what you like so I brought a variety of thing for you to choose from." Darien placed the tray in front of the blond. Immediately Serena began to devour the food like a human disposal. When she had finished Darien looked at her in disbelief. "I can't believe that you just packed all of that away without barfing first."  
  
"Neither can I. I guess I was a lot hungrier than I thought."  
  
Darien chuckled slightly. "I guess I'll have to have Andrew pick some more groceries up on the way home."  
  
"Andrew?" Serena echoed.  
  
"Yeah, he's my best friend. He lives here with me." Darien explained.  
  
"Will he be ok with me staying here?"  
  
"Yeah, He's a great guy he won't mind." Darien looked over Serena before saying, "Let's go clean you up before he gets home. I'll go draw you a bath and find you some clothes to wear."  
  
While Serena soaked in the tub Darien looked for clothes that she could wear while he cleaned hers but everything he found was way too big for her. During his desperate search for clothes, Darien heard the opening and slamming of the front door and moments later a tired and not to happy Andrew appeared at Darien's bedroom door.  
  
"Hey Darien." Andrew mumbled as he leaned against the door's frame. "Are you looking for something…and shouldn't you be at work?" the sandy blond man asked as he watched his friend's antics.  
  
"Yes and no, I took the day off. Say did Mina happen to leave a dress or an outfit of some sort over here the last time she was here?" Darien questioned looking at his friend for the first time since he came home. Andrew's sister Mina was a fashion designer and often came over to the apartment to run hot new designs past Andrew to get a male's perspective.  
  
"Yes…" Andrew trailed off, not sure where this was heading.   
  
"Could I borrow it?"  
  
"What?" Andrew asked, he was now very confused. "Let me get this straight. You," Andrew said pointing at Darien, "want to borrow a dress." Darien nodded.   
  
Andrew opened his mouth to ask something else and then closed it. "You know what? I don't even want to know why." The sandy haired man said. He went to his own room and returned moments later with a blue tropical printed summer dress. "Here." He grunted pushing the dress into his hands. "I really need to get some sleep because I'm getting delusional. Yeah that's what it is; my best friend wouldn't ask me to borrow a dress so I must be delusional." Andrew mumbled as he headed to his own room down the hall. Darien smiled; he enjoyed messing with his friend's head.  
  
Hours later Serena sat on Darien's bed, Darien was behind her and was trying to untangle the mass of flaxen hair in front of him. "And…that should do it." Darien said giving her hair one final run down with the brush.  
  
Serena hopped off the bed and stood before Darien "How do I look now?" she asked.  
  
Darien drew in a sharp gasp of breath. "Breath taking." was his simple reply and she was. Her golden hair was surrounded her and went to about her waist, and the dark blue dress complemented her slender figure.  
  
"Thanks." She beamed as a blush tinted her cheeks. The blond plopped herself back on the bed next to Darien. "So I was thinking," Serena began, "that I don't really know that much about you other than you're obviously a very kind man to have taken a stranger in your house to take care of."   
  
Serena paused, before she could continue Darien interrupted "And you want to know more about me as I wish to know more about you." Darien said with a grin. Serena looked down at her hands. "I'm afraid I can't tell anything about myself…well at least not for two more days."  
  
"Why? What's in two more days?"   
  
"My eighteenth birthday."  
  
Darien sighed. "Alright, so what do you want to know about me?" The two stayed up late chatting before they both fell asleep on the bed, side by side.  
  
Serena felt something warm on the other side of her and something heavy across her stomach. She managed to turn to the source of the warmth and came face to face with the good looking doctor that had flung his arm over her sometime during the night. She began to panic, wondering why she was in the same bed as him when she remembered that they had stayed up rather late talking and realized they must have fallen asleep during the course. She removed his hand cautiously so as not to wake him. She wanted to take a tour of his place before he awakened and to possibly get something to eat.  
  
She swung her legs over the bed and tip toed to the door. Quietly opening the door she slipped out and proceeded to take a tour. After she completed her tour she headed toward the direction of the kitchen when a fluttering of a material caught her eye, she turned and saw there was a balcony; somehow she had missed it earlier. Forgetting about the kitchen the blond headed to the open doors of the balcony. The blond leaned against the railing and gazed at the sky as the sun rose into the sky. Serena gasped as she watched the process; it was such a beautiful sight.  
  
"Gorgeous isn't it?" a voice asked from behind her. Serena froze; this was not the voice of Darien, this voice sounded mellower than the ebony doctor's. Stiffly she turned to face whoever it was, she locked onto emerald eyes.  
  
"W-Who are you?" Serena asked nervously.  
  
"How rude of me to not introduce myself," Andrew said stepping forward "I am Andrew Aino." He said giving the blond a charming smile. His eyes roomed her body but they stopped when they noticed the dress she was wearing, it was the blue tropical printed dress he had given Darien last night. 'So that's what he wanted the dress for!' Andrew thought, as things now began to make sense.  
  
While Andrew looked her over she took the opportunity to do the same. Just like Darien he was well built and good looking but instead of jet black hair Andrew had sandy blond hair with green eyes that showed off his deep tan.   
  
"May I ask who you are?"  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed in realization that she had yet to introduce herself. "I'm Serena." She said extending her hand to Andrew. The sandy blond lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, causing Serena to blush.  
  
"What are you guys doing up at such an ungodly hour?" Darien mumbled sleepily, running his hand through his ebony locks. He was leaning against the door frame for support as he looked at the two nuts who where up at this hour. His eyes stopped on Andrew who still held Serena's hand. Darien's head snapped up to give his best friend a fierce glare that clearly said "back off." Andrew obviously got the point because he dropped the gorgeous blond's hand. Then a thought occurred to him, maybe she was Darien's girlfriend. If that was the case Darien would kill him for sure for flirting with her.  
  
"Are you two going out?" Andrew asked getting straight to the point, he was not one to beat around the bush when it came to something he wanted to know.  
  
"N-No!" Serena sputtered out, a blush tinting her pale cheeks again. "I'm…I'm a patient of his."  
  
Andrew smirked. 'OK, so she's not his girlfriend but he obviously likes her or he wouldn't have become that jealous over me holding her hand. It'll take forever for him to admit that, so lets see what I can do to speed the process along faster.' Andrew thought with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "If I knew Darien's patients were as pretty as you I would have become a doctor instead of a lawyer." If was possible Andrew made Serena turn a darker shade of crimson. Andrew continued to flirt with Serena, which caused Darien to turn from annoyed to jealous to angry.   
  
Darien who was still in the frame of the door was fuming. Why he was angry he had no idea but he was and he wanted nothing more than for his friend to leave at that moment or otherwise he felt as if he was going to pound the guy. "Drew, I need to talk with you in the living room." he growled and walked into the living room, with Andrew following him and leaving a puzzled Serena behind. She knew they were fighting but about what she did not know.  
  
Andrew closed the balcony doors behind him and sauntered over to where a furious Darien stood. "Yes?" he asked innocently.  
  
"What do you think your doing?!" Darien demanded.  
  
"Whatever do you mean Dar?" Andrew asked innocently again.  
  
"Cut the crude Drew. You know what I mean; flirting with my patient!"  
  
"If she's just your patient it shouldn't bother you that I flirt with her, so what's your problem?"  
  
"How am I supposed to tell you that when I have no idea myself why I'm so angry at you for flirting with her?!" Darien yelled slumping himself against the wall. "It just bugs me is all so stop it."  
  
Andrew cocked his head to the side "You know why it bothers you so much, it's because you have a thing for her yet you refuse to admit it." Darien opened his mouth to protest then snapped it shut as Andrew continued "Why you would deny having a crush on someone as beautiful as Serena is beyond me."  
  
"It isn't possible for me to like her like that Drew. I only just met her yesterday." Darien managed to state calmly but inside confusion, annoyance, and other emotions ran together in sheer turmoil.  
  
"Haven't you ever heard of love at first site dude?" Andrew looked down at that moment and caught a glimpse of the time on his watch. "Look man I don't have time to argue with you about this because I have to leave like right now so I tell you what, I'll back off flirting with her today. If you don't make a move by the end of today I'll consider that as a sign that you really don't like her and I'll move in on her."  
  
Andrew strolled over to the door and as he was opening the door he heard Darien mumbling "I'll make a move alright, by the time we come back from the mall for her birthday gift I will have made my move I will not let you have her." Andrew shut the door behind him with a smile of satisfaction on his face. 'This is way too easy!'   
  
"How does this look?" Serena asked self-consciously hours later facing the mirror while displaying a pink t-shirt and denim skirt. As an early birthday present Darien had insisted that he take her to the mall and buy her a few new outfits. At first she had protested then when she found he wouldn't take no for an answer she had agreed. They were in their third clothing store and Darien had seemed to be a space case in each store. She turned around when she received no answer "Darien?" she questioned. She snapped her fingers in front of his face which seemed to jolt him out of his trance momentarily.  
  
"Huh? Oh you look great." Darien managed to say before slipping back in his daze. He was trying to figure out a way to tell he how much he liked her without making a fool of himself but to no avail could he figure out a way, then his mind wandered to what Andrew would do if he didn't make a move by the end of today.  
  
Serena sat down next to Darien, now concerned for her new friend. "What's wrong Darien?" she asked lifting his chin to meet her gaze. "Is it the fight you had with Andrew this morning?"  
  
"How did you know that Andrew and I had a fight this morning?"  
  
"It was pretty obvious this morning, so does the reason you are a space case now have anything to do with it?" the blond questioned.  
  
"Sort of." Darien mumbled looking down at his feet. There was no other way to do it then to ask her straight forward; Darien  
  
ran his hand through his ebony locks nervously before asking, "Do you like me?"  
  
Serena was caught off guard on that question, that was not what she was expecting him to say. "Sure you're a great guy. What isn't there to like about you?"  
  
Darien sighed. "That's not what I mean." He saw her perplexed look and then continued "I mean do you like me as if you maybe consider going out with me sometime?" The blond next to him gasped. The ebony man took this as a bad sign and quickly stammered "I-If y-you don't want to you don't have to." Darien said looking at his feet afraid that he had made a fool out of himself.  
  
"Darien," Serena said forcing him to look at her "I would absolutely love to go out with you but I'm still kind of in shock not to mention confused. "Why would an attractive man like you want to go out with someone like me?"  
  
"Someone like you?" Darien echoed. Serena nodded. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Darien asked. Without waiting for a response he said "I know you have heard those whistles from all the guys we have gone past and those awed stares that come on their face when you go by. Guys act like stupid like that for one reason only and that is only when they see a gorgeous girl like you. Your gorgeous and not only that but you have this cheerful charm about you that would make anyone like you."  
  
Serena smiled widely as all this information sunk in. 'He really does like me.'  
  
He stood up before he could get any mushier and cause some sort of scene in the store. "Come on." He said extending his hand to the blond. "Let's go pay for that outfit and get some ice cream before we have to head back home."  
  
"Turn, and strut, work it girl!" a voice squealed.  
  
*Flash back*  
  
"Darien your late!" a voice complained as soon as the ebony man opened the door.   
  
"Sorry Mina." Darien apologized carrying in a bag.  
  
"You were supposed to meet me here fifteen minutes ago with the girl…" Mina's voice trailed off as she saw a gorgeous blond come in behind Darien lugging in two more bags.  
  
"Hey is that one of my dresses?" Mina asked arching an eyebrow, leaning back into the sofa. Serena fidgeted nervously; she opened her mouth to explain something but Mina cut her by saying "You look really look great in it, have you ever considered modeling? I'm always searching for new models to model my clothes for fashion shoots and you would be perfect. I would love to have you model my designs." Mina gushed in one breath.  
  
"Whoa!" Serena said putting her hands in front of her. "Me a model?"  
  
"Yeah, why not? Your young, fit, and gorgeous, you'd be perfect! Are you interested?" Mina questioned hopefully.  
  
Serena thought over the possibility of being a model; at least it would be a job so she wouldn't have to go through tons of interviews to find one. "Sure, but may I ask who you are?"  
  
"Oh, how rude of me! I'm Mina Aino!" the bubbly girl said bouncing up from the sofa to shake hands with Serena.  
  
Serena knitted her eyebrows together in deep concentration, "I've heard the name Aino before but I can't seem to remember where." Serena said voicing her thoughts.  
  
"You've probably met my brother Andrew, he lives here also." Mina explained. "Anyway you must be Serena. Darien called me this morning and told he knew the perfect girl to be a model but I didn't know you were this gorgeous!" Serena looked at Darien and smiled.   
  
"Let's get to work." Mina said pulling Serena toward a bedroom. Serena shot Darien a helpless look before both blonds disappeared into the bedroom.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
So now Serena was in Darien's living room an hour later doing a practice modeling session to show Mina what she could do. "You're a natural!" Mina cheered while Darien whistled. "You go girl!" Mina shouted.  
  
~Serena's Birthday~  
  
*bang* *thud* "Owww!"  
  
Serena awakened with a startle at the loud noises. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and ambled sleepily toward the direction of the sound of the commotion. Serena wound up in the kitchen with a large grin on her face. In a heap on the floor lay Andrew, Darien, and Mina. It was such a funny site that Serena couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Get off." Andrew moaned, who was on the bottom.   
  
"I can't, at least until Mina and her ton of bricks get off of me." Darien groaned.  
  
"He he, sorry about that guys." Mina apologized scurrying up with her bag that Darien had referred to as a ton of bricks. Darien pushed himself off Andrew and stood up.  
  
"Ah…a little help guys." Andrew pleaded.  
  
Once Andrew was up Serena asked, "What…no how did you all end up like that?" she asked still slightly amused.  
  
"Mina." Andrew and Darien said in unison; Mina smiled sheepishly.  
  
"When Mina turned to get a glass she smacked me with that ton of bricks in her hand," Darien said pointing to the rather large bag in Mina's hand. "Caught of guard I lost my balance and grabbed the bag on the way down pulling Mina with it and causing me to knock into Andrew who was behind me hence the reason for us piled up on the floor." Darien explained. "I guess you could say it was a chain reaction all because of that ton of bricks that Mina hit me with, by the way Mina what is in that bag?" Darien questioned eyeing the bag.  
  
"A birthday present for Serena." Mina said bouncing from foot to foot. (AN: the girl is never still) "I always like to welcome my newest models with a gift of some sort, usually a lunch at some exclusive restaurant, but Darien happened to mention that your birthday was today so I got you a gift. I kind of didn't know what you would like so I brought some of my newest and hottest creations to give you before they even hit the stores." Mina rambled on.   
  
"That ton of bricks is all clothes?" Darien said in disbelief.  
  
Mina ignored Darien and continued. "Tell me what you think." She said handing the bag to Serena.  
  
Speechless at Mina's friendliness and generosity toward someone that she had only met yesterday, Serena quietly took the bag and sorted through its contents. Along with the clothes Mina had tossed in a few handbags but what caught Serena's eye was a pink silky sleeveless dress. The dress had a simple yet elegant look to it. Serena looked up at Mina who was fidgeting nervously, "I love them." She said sincerely. "Thank you."  
  
"I'm glad." Mina said bounding over and hugging Serena.  
  
"That's not all…" Andrew said mysteriously. He disappeared into another room and came back with a dozen yellow roses in hand. "These are for you." He said giving them to the blond.  
  
"Thanks." Serena said and impulsively hugged the built blond. 'Mina must be rubbing off on me.' Serena thought.  
  
"Hey what about me? Don't I get a hug too?" Darien asked playfully with a smile.  
  
"No." Serena said with a shake of her head. Darien's smile turned into a frown. Serena sauntered over to him. "No because I have another way in which I would prefer to thank you." Before she could have second thoughts about she was going to do, the blond leaned up on her tip toes and brushed her lips against the ebony doctors in a sweet lingering kiss.  
  
Serena sat at the table in the kitchen a few hours later. She looked down at her hands and then the three faces around her. The petite blond took a deep, shaky breath before beginning "I'm an orphan. When I was five my parents were killed in a gang drive-by shooting, how I lived and they did not I do not know, all I was told was how they had been killed and I was brought to an orphanage by someone who had witnessed it." Serena paused.  
  
"So I grew up in an orphanage in Southern Los Angeles. I was very well liked by everyone…that is except for the caretaker. She beat me with her leather belt often for no reason, just to see the agony in my face. The other orphans told me that she was jealous of my beauty and that I had accumulated so many friends while she had neither. She threatened them that they would face the same punishment as I, if they didn't stop talking to me so naturally they stopped hanging around me, I was alone." Serena paused; tears brimming in her eyes at the awful memories that came flooding back to her.   
  
"A few days ago, when I decided to run away, that day she had repeatedly whipped me but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her see me cry so she sent me to bed without any dinner. That's when I decided I could no longer stand that place and I ran away. I had no real plan on what I would do once I got away. All I knew was that I had to put as much distance as I could between myself and that wretched place. I guess I must have fainted during the process because the next thing I knew I was here. Despite the facts that all of you knew nothing about me you have been very friendly and generous to me this whole time and I really appreciate it. " Serena finished wiping her teary eyes with her hand.   
  
The blond looked around at the poignant faces of her friends. "I couldn't tell you any of this until today, when I turned eighteen, when Ms. Fox no longer had any legal rights over me. When I was finally free!" Serena shouted, her cerulean eyes now brimming with tears of happiness. Serena looked at her friends faces; they were no longer sad but angry.  
  
"How could anyone be that mean?!" Mina cried.  
  
  
  
"She's going to pay." Darien growled.  
  
"You can bet on that." Andrew answered back. "I'll personally handle this case myself. If Serena is willing to testify in court to all the things that she just told us, that lady will get what she deserves."  
  
They all looked at Serena expectantly waiting for her answer, "Of course I'll testify against her."  
  
"Great!" Mina exclaimed. The others remained silent unsure of what to do now. Mina was the first to break the silence. "Until then let's go have some more birthday fun!"  
  
Months later when the case went to court Ms. Fox indeed was found guilty of the abuse charges and was sent to jail for fifteen years.  
  
THE END 


End file.
